The Trials
by SunshineGal16
Summary: This multi-chapter story deals with my version of the bizarre trials that Eriol sets for Sakura to check whether she is worthy of being the Card Mistress. Happy reading! -SB
1. FIRST DAY BACK!

**CARD CAPTOR SAKURA**

**DISCLAIMER: CCS does not belong to me.**

**SUMMARY: This multi-chapter story deals with my version of the bizarre trials that Eriol sets for Sakura to check whether she is worthy of being the Card Mistress. **

**A/N: This story picks up from the end of the first season of CCS. However for certain reasons, I have had to make necessary changes that deviate from the original anime. Therefore in this version:**

**Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo and the rest of the gang is 12 years old.**

**The Clow Cards were released only when Sakura was 11 years old.**

**Meiling has not gone back to Hong Kong. She is still in Tomoeda. And she and Syaoran are still 'engaged'. **

**Toya and Yukito do not have romantic feelings for each other.**

**Tomoyo does not have romantic feelings for Sakura.**

**HAPPY READING!**

**-SB ;)**

**THE TRIALS **

**PROLOGUE**

The normally bustling town of Tomoeda was peaceful and quiet now. All the residents were asleep, with the sole exceptions of a newcomer and two others. These people had arrived at the town only yesterday and the newcomer was taking in the surroundings. It was a peculiar time to be out enjoying nature instead of tucked up in a warm bed, but neither the stranger nor his comrades seemed to feel so.

The stranger was standing on the terrace of his sprawling mansion with his two companions positioned behind him. His face was turned towards the sky. In the sky, there were two luminous bodies: one gold and the other silver. It was one of those few minutes right at sunrise when both the Sun and Moon were visible. The stranger eyed them thoughtfully.

"_Keroberos and Yue..._I know you're out there somewhere...I can sense your respective energies...", he murmured, "It will only be a matter of time before you sense me too, but by then it will be too late. I will already have begun to put my plan in action".

"_Why_ are we even here? You did not explain", asked one of the companions.

"Patience Ruby. We are here to test the abilities of the new Card Mistress", replied the stranger.

"Who is she?", questioned the second companion.

"Her name is Kinomoto Sakura", answered the stranger, "We are going to make sure she is worthy of holding onto her position as Card Mistress by setting trials for her to overcome with her magical powers".

"Sounds like fun!", exclaimed Ruby Moon gleefully, "I can hardly wait!". Spinel Sun simply snorted.

"Yes...it is _indeed_ going to be a lot of _fun..._", mused Hiiragizawa Eriol with an enigmatic smile as dawn broke out flooding the sky with orange and red.

**CHAPTER ONE – FIRST DAY BACK!**

**A FEW HOURS LATER**

In the lawns of the Li mansion, Syaoran Li was busily engaged in practising his martial arts. As he swung his sword skilfully at an imaginary enemy, his thoughts drifted towards the significance of the day. It was the first day of the new school year.

"Li-sama! It's time to start getting ready for school", called Wei the butler.

"Ok!", called back Syaoran.

Inserting his sword into its sheath, he re-entered the mansion.

The very next second, he had the breath knocked out of him by a girl who threw herself at him. She was already dressed in the school uniform.

"Syaoran! I'm _so_ excited! Aren't you? I can't _wait_ to get back to school! Normally I wouldn't be so thrilled, but the holidays have been so boring, school seems almost like an adventure now!", she gushed without releasing him.

"_Meiling!_ STOP doing that! You're _crushing_ me!", said Syaoran exasperated.

"_Ok, ok._ There's no need to be so _snappy!_", mumbled Meiling letting him go with an injured expression.

"But you're right! It _is_ going to be nice to go school again!", he added hastily.

The smile reappeared on her face.

"Get ready soon!", she called and skipped away.

'_That girl _changes moods so quickly, you can never predict whether she's going to _hug_ or _kick_ you', thought Syaoran affectionately.

Within 45 minutes, he was ready to go. Bidding good bye to Wei, he and Meiling left the mansion.

Meiling kept up a steady stream of chatter. Syaoran nodded appropriately at all the pauses, but was not focussed on what she was saying.

He felt a mixture of various emotions: Nervous apprehension, Excitement, Anticipation...but above all..._Happiness._ He was going to be able to meet all his friends.

Syaoran had always been a very reserved person; not one to mingle and make friends easily. But last year when he had come to Tomoeda with the purpose of acquiring the Clow Cards, he had formed quite close relationships with certain people who had become _very_ special to him. And when the holidays rolled around, he had found himself missing them terribly.

Now he would get to see them on a regular basis. He felt a rush of pure pleasure.

**MEANWHILE**

"Wakey-wakey Kajuu!", said Toya Kinomoto prodding his sleeping sister's side.

"_Go away_ Onii-chan! Give me just five more minutes. And I'm NOT a Kajuu!", protested Sakura Kinomoto feebly.

"You've been asking for 'just five more minutes' for nearly twenty minutes now. And you most certainly are a talkative, over-chirpy, annoying, 12-yr old _Kajuu_ who by the way, is going to achieve the honour of being late for her very first day of eighth grade, if she's not to stop being such a lazy lump and crawl out of bed", answered Toya matter-of-factly.

"_ONII-CHAN!_", shrieked Sakura sitting up furiously.

"Good. You're finally up. My job's done", said Toya satisfied, stalking out of Sakura's room.

"One day I'll pay you back for all this Onii-chan!", she swore as she got out of bed.

"What's with all the shouting Sakura?", demanded Kero groggily, poking his head out from the drawer which served as his make-shift bed.

"It's Onii-chan. He _keeps _calling me Kajuu no matter how many times I tell him to stop!", she complained.

But at the thought of seeing her classmates again, her anger faded.

She took a look at the clock and saw that it was 7:35 AM.

'School starts only at 8:15, so I have _lots _more time left', she thought happily and made the mistake of getting ready very slowly.

By the time she had brushed her teeth, showered, dressed and said good bye to Kero; it was 8:00 AM.

With a groan, Sakura hotfooted downstairs nearly knocking Toya over in the process, and ran to the dining table. She greeted her father cheerfully, practically inhaled her breakfast and walked over to the framed photo of Nadeshiko.

"Okaa-san, today's my first day of eighth grade! Wish me luck! _Love you!_", she chirped.

Saying good bye to her father, she strapped on her roller skates and skated out onto the road. A few seconds later, Toya caught up with her on his bicycle.

Soon they spotted Yukito waiting for them in his usual spot under the Cherry blossom tree.

Sakura felt herself blush. Tsukishiro Yukito was her brother's best friend and the boy she'd been crushing on for nearly_ two whole years. _Also,while Keroberos was one of the Guardians of the Clow Cards, the other Guardian was Yue who resided within Yukito: something which Yukito was not completely unaware of.

"Ohayo Toya! Ohayo Sakura-chan! Looking forward to school?"asked Yukito cheerily.

"I sure am Yuki. Being cooped up with the Kajuu for nearly two months, even though you were there to ease my suffering, was _no_ picnic", commented Toya dryly to only to let out a howl of pain when his sister brought her foot down firmly on top of his.

Yukito watched them with amusement. He was very fond of Toya and loved Sakura in a brotherly way.

He had decided to walk to school that day and not brought his bicycle. So, Toya and Sakura slowed down to keep pace with him.

Sakura chattered happily about how excited she was to be starting junior high. Toya rolled his eyes. He'd heard it all a million times already. But Yukito listened patiently.

Soon, they reached the Junior Block. Toya and Yukito had their classes in the Senior Block.

"Good luck Sakura-chan!", called out Yukito.

"Stick to Tomoyo and _keep away_ from that Chinese Gaki, ok?", advised Toya. Sakura sighed. Her brother had this deep-rooted grudge against Syaoran since the very first time he saw the latter.

Toya and Yukito left.

Sakura located her new classroom 8-B. She adjusted her back pack and took a deep breath.

Sliding open the door, she walked inside.

"SAKURA-CHAN! IT'S SO GREAT TO SEE YOU! YOU'RE LOOKING EVERY BIT AS _KAWAII _AS YOU DID THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU!", squealed Tomoyo.

Sakura hugged her.

"Arigatou Tomoyo-chan! Your hair looks _amazing!_ What did you do it?", she squealed back.

"Oh, it was Okaa-san. She took me to a spa where they forced me to go through _all kinds_ of hair treatments! But in the end, it ended up looking better than it did before. So I didn't have the heart to complain", answered Tomoyo grinning.

Sakura greeted Naoko Yanagisawa, Rika Sasaki, Chiharu Mihara and Takashi Yamazaki: all good friends of hers.

As she turned to look around the classroom, she noticed a slender, handsome boy with unruly brown hair and intense amber eyes watching her uncertainly.

"_Syaoran-kun!_ It's _so good_ to see you!", she exclaimed, hugging him. Syaoran went rather red, and did not hug her back. But he didn't try to pull away either. He usually disliked physical contact and overt displays of affection. However for reasons beyond his understanding, he didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward when it was with Sakura.

"It's good to see you too _Sakura_", he told her with a hint of a smile on his face.

"KINOMOTO! WHAT _ON EARTH _DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?", screamed Mei Lin who'd witnessed Sakura hug her fiancé.

"I was just _so_ happy to see Syaoran-kun, I got carried away...", said Sakura regretfully while Syaoran sweat dropped.

"Well, don't get _quite_ so carried away next time", warned Meiling sternly.

All of a sudden, Sakura tackled her with a bear hug too.

"What was that for?", asked Meiling dumb-founded, "I was telling you off, and you're reacting by _hugging me?_".

"It's nice to see that you haven't changed one bit Meiling-san! I've _missed_ you!", was the explanation Sakura gave.

Meiling's face softened. Whose wouldn't at a remark like that?

She launched off into a full-fledged narration of the 'BORING' way she and Syaoran had spent most of their holidays in Hong Kong.

Syaoran just stood there, staring at all his favourite people with quiet happiness.

Meanwhile Tomoyo was telling everyone how her mother had taken her to Milan for an exquisite vacation filled with shopping and beauty care.

"Okaa-san got me this wonderful new video camera! It's got extremely high definition and it's _loads_ better than my old one!", she announced proudly, holding it up while everyone 'Ooh-ed' and 'Aaah-ed'.

"Where did _you_ go during the hols, Sakura?", questioned Meiling.

"Oh, I just stayed here in Tomoeda with Onii-chan and Otou-san", said Sakura.

"Didn't you find it boring?", asked Rika who'd stayed in her grandparents' house during vacation.

"Not really. I took a course in cooking. I learnt to make the best Double Chocolate Chip Cookies _ever!_ And Yukito-san came over _every day!_ I, Onii-chan and Yukito-san had _so_ much doing stuff together! Sometimes Otou-san joined in too, if he was home early", said Sakura, eyes shining.

Syaoran felt an unfamiliar pang inside, when he heard the clearly adoring tone in which she mentioned Yukito. He was well aware of Sakura's enormous crush on Yukito and so far, it had never affected him in any way. But now he felt...amazingly, unbelievably, but also undeniably...

_...annoyed..._

Naoko revealed that she'd had 'THE _best_ vacation EVER', which she spent by reading mounds of books.

"It was so wonderful! I could read _as much_ as I wanted, without having to worry about homework and tests!", she raved enthusiastically.

Chiharu said that she and Yamazaki (who was her cousin), had gone to Switzerland with their parents and had an awesome time skiing and making snowmen.

"Did you guys know that snowmen were in fact _alive_ once upon a time? The reason they aren't now is because-", rattled off Yamazaki unabashedly even as Chiharu dragged him off by the ear crossly.

Just then, a man and a boy their own age, entered the classroom. The man was tall and good-looking and had a twinkle in his eyes as he addressed them, "Surprised to see me again?".

"_Terada sensei!_ Are _you_ going to be our class teacher this year too?", asked Rika excitedly.

Yoshiyuki Terada had been their class teacher last year. Everyone liked him, Rika in particular, who had been his star pupil.

"Yes. It's wonderful to see your faces again, kids. Now take your places. Classes are about to commence", he said smiling.

Everyone quickly rushed to sit down. They managed to bag seats close to each other.

"This year, we're having a new transfer student from England", said Terada sensei, gesturing to the boy who was standing at the front of the class.

"I am Hiiragizawa Eriol. It is a pleasure to meet you all", he said politely. He had dark, navy hair, and eyes of the same deep colour. He wore glasses and looked refined, studious and handsome.

**(A/N: I swear, in this Anime- EVERYONE looks like a knock-out. Regardless of whether they have a main role or not. I just wish I could look that good...but then, that's wishful thinking!).**

"Now, I'll need someone to show Hiiragizawa-kun around the school since he's new...Kinomoto-san? Can you do that?", he asked Sakura who nodded eagerly and smiled at Eriol.

Eriol returned her smile, but he seemed to be intrigued when he heard her name.

"Hiiragizawa-kun? Take the seat next to Kinomoto-san so that if you require any assistance she'll be nearby", instructed Terada sensei.

Eriol walked over to the directed seat and sat down, still not taking his eyes off Sakura.

Syaoran felt a stab of irritation. That feeling he'd had earlier; it was _definitely _back. He narrowed his eyes at Eriol. On noticing Syaoran's expression and the apparent reason for it, Tomoyo's eyes widened.

Meiling who'd caught it too, looked murderous while the rest of the gang giggled and nudged each other. _Naive_ little Sakura _(of course) _remained blissfully oblivious to it all.

The bell rang. Terada sensei started off with Math. ('What an _auspicious _start to the new school year', thought Sakura bitterly. She disliked Math).

Eriol finally tore his gaze away from Sakura.

'_About_ time', thought Syaoran, shooting a frown at Eriol, before focussing on the black board.

Tomoyo who'd still been watching Syaoran, smiled to herself.

'Well, well...this year sure is going to be _interesting!_', she thought.

Little did she know just _how_ much...

**-END OF CHAPTER-**

**MEANINGS:**

**Sama – Master**

**Kajuu – Monster**

**Onii-chan – Big Brother**

**Okaa-san – Mother**

**Ohayo – Good Morning**

**Gaki – Brat**

**Kawaii – Cute **

**Arigatou – Thank You**

**Otou-san – Father**

**Sensei – Teacher**

**A/N: I wanted to make the first chapter an introduction. From the next chapter onwards, Eriol will start setting his tests for Sakura. Also, the upcoming chapters will be mostly from the POVS' of the characters, not the boring old author's! And I promise to bring in more of S/S later! Unfortunately, E/T fans will have to be disappointed I'm afraid, since I'm going by the original story line in which Eriol and Tomoyo are not shown having any romantic feelings for each other.**

**Please Review! :)**

**HAPPY READING!**

**-SB ;)**


	2. ATTACK OF THE ARACHNIDS!

**CARD CAPTOR SAKURA**

**DISCLAIMER: CCS does not belong to me.**

**A/N: Many thanks from my side to James Birdsong for reviewing.**

**HAPPY READING!**

**-SB ;)**

**THE TRIALS**

**CHAPTER TWO – ATTACK OF THE ARACHNIDS!**

**SAKURA'S POV**

I'm standing on the top of a tall building with the moon shining above, the wind blowing hard and the heavy, gray clouds hiding the twinkling stars.

The entire atmosphere feels mysterious and pulses with magic. Almost like there is some unseen force at work here. There's nothing I'd like better than to leave this place, but I cannot. My legs seem to be taking orders from someone else, because I'm unable to move them. They've frozen to the spot.

Panic rises in me and I reach for the Clow Key I always wear around my neck. But then, a rich male voice chimes out of nowhere,"That will not assist you anymore. Not unless you make _certain_ modifications in it".

My eyes dart about, trying to locate the speaker. But there is nothing and no one here except for the vast open space and a bird's eye view of the town below.

I try probing the source of the voice, and I let out a gasp. Whoever he is, he's _powerful_. His aura is positively _brimming_ with ancient magic.

Besides, the presence of this person is...unmistakably..._familiar_ to me somehow... But I'm not able to pinpoint where I might have encountered him before...

"Who are you?", I ask, full-well not expecting a direct answer. After all, why would he take the trouble to mask himself if he was going to reveal his identity so easily?

"Someone well known to you", he replies.

I try to focus on the exact place where the voice is coming from, but it's hopeless. It seems to reverberate from every angle.

"Fine. What are you here for then?", I ask, half-fearful and half-curious.

"I cannot disclose that now. But I _can_ tell you this: Good luck Sakura-chan. You will _most_ definitely need it. And a little tip for you: When all fails, try the Elements", he says quietly.

The next instant, I can feel his presence fading.

"Wait!", I call out desperately. But it's too late. His presence has vanished. Poof! Just like that.

_Drat._ What did he mean by 'try the Elements'? Why do I need good luck? Is something _bad_ going to happen? I sure hope not. And who was he? He said I knew him well, and I could recognise his presence as familiar... Maybe-

"_AARGH!"_

I sit up in bed shivering as something cold and wet drenches me.

I spot the miscreant immediately: my loving big brother. Who else would have the nerve to douse me in cold water in MY own room?

"ONII-CHAN! HOW _DARE_ YOU!", I screech.

"Look. I tried poking you, hitting you with the pillow and even shouting in your ear. But you just WOULDN'T wake up! I had no other choice!", he protests, trying to sound regretful. But I can see that he _thoroughly_ enjoyed it. _Jerk._

Nevertheless, if he hadn't awakened me, I would've been late for school. So I bite back the urge to call him that to his face, and mumble, "Ok, ok. Just don't EVER do it again!".

He nods, clearly planning to use hot water next time. My brother is nothing but an insufferable _sadist_ when concerning me.

I rush around brushing, bathing in record time and dressing. Before I go downstairs to eat, I tell Kero-chan about the dream.

"_Hmm..._Sounds _fishy..._I have no idea what this might mean for the future, but I strongly advise you to stay on the alert and keep the Clow Cards and the Key with you at _all_ times", he says seriously.

I nod. I'm turning the doorknob, when he calls out, "And tell the Kid to be careful too...all magical beings could be affected by this".

"Ok!", I say grinning. I always knew Kero-chan _did _care about Syaoran-kun, no matter whatever pretence he put on to prove the contrary.

Then it's time to eat and leave. After greeting Otou-san and Okaa-san's photo, I wolf down my breakfast even faster than usual, strap myself into my skates and I'm out on the road with Onii-chan.

Today I have to get to school earlier than usual, since I promised- _Aah_, there's Yukito-san! He never fails to brighten up my mood. Which is a _lot_ more than can be said for his best friend.

We reach school and I wave them both goodbyes.

So anyway, the reason I'm here extra early today is because-

"Kinomoto-san! Ready to show me around?", comes a voice. I turn around. It's Hiiragizawa-kun smiling at me. You see, we'd met up after school for a couple of minutes yesterday and he suggested that I could give him a tour of the school early today morning.

"Of course! Now, let's start with the Library. Do you like books?".

"Oh, yes. Reading is my favourite hobby".

"_Then you're going LOVE our library!"._

**SYAORAN'S POV**

I _knew_ it. I knew the moment he arrived that he was nothing but _trouble._ Who gave him the license to flirt with _Sakura?_ She's just being friendly to him like she is to everybody, but Hiiragizawa's completely taking _advantage_ of her!

When I came to school this morning, I saw them both together and I didn't like it one bit. So I managed to shoo off Meiling, and decided to follow them.

(I know what you're thinking, and NO I did NOT follow her because I was feeling like _jealous_ or whatever other nonsense you incurable romantics come up with. I did it purely out of concern for her safety- I didn't like the way Hiiragizawa looked at her yesterday).

At first, things were normal. She was pointing out places like the Library and the Gym, and he merely nodded. I was actually feeling kind of ashamed for having over-reacted.

But then he did it! He _flirted_ with her!

He asked her to call him Eriol and said that there was _'no need for formalities among friends'._ He even asked her whether he could call her Sakura!

Everyone knows that here in Japan, only people who are VERY close call each other by their first names. Hiiragizawa hardly qualifies as _close_ seeing that he met Sakura for the first time only yesterday!

But being the innocently nice person she is, Sakura did not suspect one thing. She gave him permission and now he keeps calling her _'Sakura-chan'_ which is _really_ getting on my nerves.

But apart from all this, there's something..._suspicious_ about Hiiragizawa. He's not the person he seems to be...

_Be careful Sakura...be very careful..._

**TOMOYO'S POV**

Human nature is..._amusing_...especially when it's due to jealousy...

Li-kun provided 45 minutes of _excellent _entertainment for me in Science class today.

First, he glared at the back of _Hiiragizawa-kun's head_ for 15 minutes straight.

Then, he stared at the back of _Sakura-chan's head_ for 15 more minutes.

Finally, he turned red when he realised what he was doing, and spent the last 15 minutes staring at his _desk._

I nearly died from trying not to laugh.

This new development is certainly humorous, but not really surprising by any means. I expected it to happen all along; just not so soon. Li-kun and Sakura-chan would make SUCH a KAWAII pair if they got together! I'm going to make it my personal mission to accomplish that.

Although with Meiling around, that's going to be a challenge...

_Ooh._ I wonder how _Toya-kun_ would react if he ever found out that _'the Chinese Gaki' _is starting to have a serious crush on his baby sister!

He'd probably either burst a blood vessel, or he'd take it upon himself to strangle Li-kun. I wouldn't put it past Toya-kun. I've seen him glower at random boys on the street just because they were walking in the _same direction_ as Sakura-chan.

So, now I have 2 big obstructions to deal with: Sakura-chan's brother and Li-kun's 'fiancé'.

But the biggest obstructions of all are Li-kun and Sakura-chan themselves!

In this pair:-  
One is entirely oblivious to the fact that the other likes her. (Not to mention the fact that she has been crushing sincerely on her brother's best friend for TWO years and doesn't seem inclined to stop any time soon).

While the other is in inhumanly STRONG denial of his own feelings and is _quite _determined to convince himself that he likes the other person only in a platonic way.

_This pair is HOPELESS. _

**MEILING'S POV**

Today has NOT been a good day for me.

First Syaoran ditched me when we reached school for some apparently 'important' reason and didn't show up for 15 minutes. Neither would he tell where he'd been! Imagine that! Aren't fiancés supposed to be all-honest and open with each other?

Then, he acted really Un-Syaoran-like during Science. He seemed preoccupied and didn't pay attention to the lesson at all, which is not _one bit_ like him. Usually he sits with ears cocked up like the teacher is talking about the _secrets of the Universe_ instead of boring old _Atoms and Eco-systems._

I honestly don't know what to make of it. He also seems to dislike that new boy- Hiiragizawa a _lot._ I'm not sure why, but if Syaoran doesn't like him, neither will I.

Anyway, the point is: something's wrong with him. I can feel it. I think maybe he's going through a rebellious phase.

I just hope he becomes normal soon. I'm not very keen on this new Syaoran.

Besides, when I said this day wasn't good, I wasn't just talking about Syaoran.

Kinomto-san told me, Daidouji-san and Syaoran that she'd had some kind of prophetic dream, hinting that tough times might be on the way. That can't be good, surely.

But all the Clow Cards have been successfully captured. All the damage they'd caused has already been dealt with. What more could happen?

_What could this new warning possibly mean?_

**AUTHOR'S POV**

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Until school ended, that is.

Eriol was a pro at fabricating stories out of thin air. He had made fast acquaintances with Yamazaki and backed up the latter in his lies.

An excerpt:-

Yamazaki: Kinomto-san, Li-kun. Did you both know that a long, long time ago...penguins ruled the world?

Sakura: _Really?_

Syaoran: I _never_ knew that.

Chiharu: YAMAZAKI! Quit telling _lies!_

Eriol: But they are not lies! He's perfectly right.

Yamazaki: Why, thank you Eriol-kun. So like I was saying before: Penguins were in charge. No doubt about that. But then an evil, power-hungry warlock put a spell on them-

Eriol: -that forced them to only survive in very cold places. Naturally, they were forced to give up control over the Sahara Desert. Now, their kingdom has been reduced to only the North and South Poles, poor things.

Yamazaki: Yes! The legacy of the Penguins is ancient and rich. Something to always be remembered and cherished...

Syaoran: Sugoi!

Sakura: Hai!

Chiharu was in a tough spot now: With Eriol supporting Yamazaki's statement, she could not openly call it a lie. The rest of the gang either looked amused or exasperated.

Eriol clearly intended to have fun during his stay in Tomoeda, in ways other than just setting Sakura trials-

_Trials!_ Silly old me, rambling about inconsequential things. Moving onto the trial for today:-

Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo and Meiling were leaving school after the last bell had rung, when Sakura and Syaoran exchanged uneasy glances.

They had sensed traces of highly potent magic emanating from somewhere near the school building. Explaining this situation to the other two, the four took off in the direction of the source. (Tomoyo was delighted at finally getting a chance to use her new video camera).

Sakura and Syaoran tracked down the energy to be coming from a small empty plot at the back of the school which had...

Several _enormous_ eight-legged creatures which were running all over! Each was about the size of a football. The moment the spiders saw them, they changed course and started charging towards them!

"_EWW!_", shrieked Meiling cowering. Despite being unafraid of physical battles and spirits, she was absolutely _terrified_ of spiders. Even level-headed Tomoyo appeared to be a little freaked out.

Sakura on the other hand wasn't fazed. Being the Card Captor had braced her for facing more severe situations.

Syaoran too was prepared. Whipping out the fancy pen he kept in his pocket, he muttered an incantation and it expanded to become his ceremonial sword.

**(A/N: Yes, I know that isn't part of the original Anime. But I have to make sure that Syaoran has his sword with him at all times hereafter, because I plan on giving him a LOT of chances to use it! In case you didn't notice: I got the idea for the Pen-cum-sword thing from Percy Jackson's sword- Riptide).**

With excellent strokes, he sliced the oncoming horde of insects. Each time he killed one, it disintegrated into dust. But slowly, it started re-forming.

"The key that holds the power of darkness. Reveal your true form to me. I, Sakura, command thee under our contract. _Release!",_ ordered Sakura.

She racked her brain frantically for which Clow Card to use. She had luckily taken Kero's advice in the morning and had brought the Cards along.

"_Do something Kinomoto!_ Can't you see that Syaoran won't be able to hold on for a long time?", yelled Meiling.

Indeed Syaoran was swiftly slashing at the spiders, but they relentlessly kept re-forming. It was only a matter of time before he would become tired.

"Poor Syaoran! I must think of something quick! Which card should I use? The Mist? No. In the process, it might destroy the whole area. The Shadow? No. I don't think that would be suitable.", she mumbled to herself.

"Try using The Freeze card. After the spiders are trapped in the ice, you can probably use The Erase card to destroy them", suggested Tomoyo who was filming the entire thing from a corner, and simultaneously helping out by whacking away spiders with a stout stick she'd found on the ground.

"Good idea!", said Sakura, perking up.

Pulling out the respective cards, she threw them up and bringing the Clow Staff down, cried out, "_Freeze Card!_ Encase the spiders in solid ice! _Erase Card!_ Destroy them once they're frozen! _Release and Dispel!"_

But nothing happened. The Cards dully fluttered down into her hands. The Staff didn't work either.

"What's happening? Why aren't the Cards and the Staff working?", called out Syaoran.

"I don't know! What a time for these things to malfunction!", cursed Sakura pulling out a different Card and repeating the process. The result was the same: Nothing.

"But they worked well enough when I captured them...how come...", she trailed off.

She made a snap decision and pulling out the Walkie-Talkie Tomoyo had given all of them, she called Kero.

"_Whaddya want?_ I'd almost beat my previous high score on Journey Quest till you called. It _better_ be good!", he grumbled.

"Kero! We're having terrible trouble here! There's some kind of very strong magic at work, and the place is over-run with huge spiders! I tried using the Clow Cards, but they aren't working! Neither is the Staff! Why aren't they functioning?", asked Sakura in a rush.

For a long moment Kero was silent.

Then he said, "I'm not 100% sure...but I think it might be because you're still using _Clow Reed's_ magic to power the Cards and the Staff.".

"Well then, what should I do to get them back in order?", asked Sakura desperately. She was running of time.

"It's going to be hard..._very hard..._", answered Kero somberly.

"I don't CARE! No matter how hard it might be, I'll do it! Just tell me what to do!", said Sakura.

"Right. You'll have to channel _your_ energy into the Staff and the Cards instead of falling back on Clow Reed's power. You have to transform them to suit your magic", he said.

Sakura had a sudden flash of déjà vu as she remembered what the stranger in her dream had told her about the Clow Key:-

'_That will not assist you anymore. Not unless you make certain modifications in it'._

Now she understood what had to be done.

"Ok. Thanks", she said quickly into the transmitter and tossed it to Meiling.

"Keep him on the line. I might need his help again", she instructed and turned to face the hideous spiders.

Quickly pulling out the Staff, she intoned, "Staff created by Clow, discard your old form and be reborn, under the name of Sakura, your new mistress! _Release!"._

A bright light engulfed the Staff and it began to change shape. Meiling, Tomoyo, Syaoran and even the spiders it seemed, stared in amazement at the spectacle unfolding before their eyes.

Sakura could feel her energy being drawn into the Staff and concentrated. Finally the transformation was complete. In the place of the earlier Clow Staff was a beautiful new Star Wand.

"Now for the Cards", she muttered and threw them into the air bringing the Star Wand down.

"Cards created by Clow, discard your old forms and be reborn, under the name of Sakura, your new mistress!", she called out.

Another flash of light surrounded the Cards this time. She felt herself steadily losing strength and fought to keep control.

The cards glowed golden and then dimmed, revealing that their designs had changed. They had been transformed.

With no time to feel happy (the spiders had nearly descended on her despite Syaoran's best efforts), she flung them upwards once more and chanted, "_Freeze Card!_ Encase the spiders in solid ice! Card! _Erase Card!_ Once they're frozen, destroy them! _Release and Dispel!"._

The Cards manifested into their humanoid forms. The Freeze spread a thick layer of ice over the creatures, but before The Erase could spring into action, there was a loud splintering sound.

The spiders had broken through the ice and were streaming out!

"These things are freakishly strong!", wailed Sakura.

She stole a look at Syaoran. He had a deep gash in his side where one of the foul things had cut him with its pincers. He was panting for breath, and clearly in pain. But valiantly _still_ attempting to ward off the creatures. _For the sake of his friends. _

She felt an impulsive hatred towards the monstrous insects for hurting him. It wasn't just the fact that one of her friends was injured...No, it was much MUCH more than that. It was also the fact that it was _Syaoran_ who was injured. Somehow, seeing HIM of all people, hurt, incensed her. For some unfathomable reason, he was _special_ to her. EXTRA_-_special_._

She forced herself to think of a different way to attack the spiders. Then another memory of the stranger in the dream came unbidden to her:-

'_And a little tip for you: When all fails, try the Elements'._

"That's it! One of the Element Cards should do the trick!", she said out loud.

Meiling wordlessly handed the transmitter to her. Kero had apparently following the situation through it.

"Sakura! Just remember: Transforming the Staff _and_ two Cards would've made you quite frail already. You'll have strength at the maximum, to transform only ONE of the Element Cards and dispel it! Choose which one, _carefully!",_ he warned.

Handing the device back to Meiling, Sakura speedily considered her options: The Windy, The Firey, The Watery and The Earthy- the four Element Cards. But which one should she use?

'_The Windy? It would just blow the spiders about and cause more havoc!'_

'_The Firey? Well I suppose it would kill them...but the smell of roasting spiders would attract attention.'_

'_The Watery? It would drown the spiders. But how would I dispose the...eww...corpses?'_

'_The Earthy? Maybe I could have Earthy open a big crevice in the ground under the spiders and have it sealed up again! That might work!'_

In one fluid movement, she brought out The Earthy Card and uttered the spell to transform it.

The golden light feebly flickered from the Card.

Sakura felt herself dangerously weakening, swaying with fatigue, on the brink of a collapse when a pair of arms caught her around the waist and steadied her.

She wearily looked up. It was Syaoran. He looked every bit as drained as her. He'd temporarily abandoned the spiders to support her, and the creatures were now freely swarming their way, now that there was no one to detain them.

"_Don't _lose focus, Sakura. You can do it. _I know you can._ Remember your motto? Everything will _definitely_ be alright", he told her with fierce confidence.

She recalled how he'd fought with the spiders determinedly, _risking _his life. She recalled the bloody gash in his side and how much it must have hurt to _continue_ fighting with it. She recalled how he'd strained himself, but _hadn't_ given up. His touch and words did wonders in boosting her stamina.

Resolve shot through Sakura like she'd never known it before. She _would_ focus. She would finish this once and for all. She would stay strong. _For Syaoran._

The sudden streak of defiance cleared her head and she closed her eyes tightly, putting _every bit_ of her heart and soul into the task at hand. Pushing _every_ scrap of magic from her body into the Card.

The Card glowed brighter and brighter till it hurt the eyes of everyone who looked at it. With a burst of light, it transformed.

With the last ounce of energy left in her, she commanded the Card to open a crevice in the ground beneath the spiders and seal up the crack immediately, thereby crushing the life out of them.

The Earthy did as ordered and within a few seconds, peace prevailed. It was over.

With a final laboured gasp, Sakura closed her eyes. The world spun in dizzying circles and went black.

**SYAORAN'S POV**

"_Sakura!_ _Sakura, answer me!_", I shout hoarsely.

"Calm down, Li-kun. I think she's just fainted from the exertion. Come to think of it, you don't look very steady yourself. You both need REST", says Daidouji-san.

_Yes._ That must be it. She must have fainted, that's all. _Thank God._ For one agonizing second, when she closed her eyes...I thought...

I shudder to even think of the possibility.

Daidouji-san calls her bodyguard from a pay-phone and Meiling rushes over to me to check over my bruises.

Things are happening around me, but I _can't_ look away from Sakura's pale face. I reach out and hesitantly touch her flushed cheek. At that exact moment, her eyes flutter open.

"_Syaoran-kun!_ _What happened to the spiders? Are they gone?_", she asks urgently.

Typical Sakura. Putting the general situation before her own health: the minute she recovers she asks about the spiders; but not about her condition.  
My face breaks out into a grin.

"_You did it. You defeated them. I'm proud of you Sakura_", I tell her firmly.

She positively beams at me and I'm a bit dazzled. Only Sakura Kinomoto could possibly look so..._beautiful_ even when she's on the verge of a breakdown.

She opens her mouth, presumably to say something, but then I notice for the first time, the position we're in: I'm sitting on the ground, with Sakura sprawled over my lap! My face is burning up.

_What_ was I thinking? This is way too intimate! Just then, Daidouji-san's car pulls up and her bodyguard gets out. He reaches over to help Sakura to her feet and I let out a sigh of relief mixed with embarrassment. But a part of me can't help feeling...a little let down too-

Let down? LET DOWN?

SNAP OUT OF IT YOU BAKA!

**SAKURA'S POV**

On the way to Tomoyo-chan's house, I dozed off. I didn't even wake up when her bodyguard apparently carried me up two flights of stairs and put me to bed in her guest room!

I must've have been EXHAUSTED, since when I woke up, SIX hours had passed! It's almost 9:30 PM now!

Now I'm fully rested and I feel lots better! At first I was worried about how anxious Onii-chan and Otou-san would be since I hadn't returned home from school...But good old Tomoyo-chan took care of that. She wisely told them that I was staying for a sleepover at her house, and they gave in without suspecting anything.

_Whew! _It wouldn't do for them to see me like this- ESPECIALLY Onii-chan. He might annoy me and taunt me, but he's one WAY over-protective big brother.

Kero-chan flew out here to see me. He told me he was very impressed that I'd managed to last long enough to transform The Earthy Card! I'm NOT taking that as a compliment Kero-chan!

Anyway, now I'm just sitting up in bed thinking of what happened. Thinking about how deadly those spiders were. Thinking about how Meiling-san was surprisingly so scared of them. Thinking about how Tomoyo-chan somehow managed to film everything despite the chaos! Thinking about Syaoran-kun...and how brave he was...how he fought even after he got hurt-

GOT HURT! I forgot all about that! What kind of a horrible friend _am I?_

I press the buzzer beside my bed, worried sick. That wound was so deep. He should have had it bandaged and treated by now! I hope he's ok! God knows HE was the true hero today!

Satoshi Kuruso-the butler pokes his head into my room.

"What is the matter Kinomoto-san? Do you feel any pain? Any nausea or perhaps dizziness-".

"No! No! Nothing like that! Is Syaoran-kun here?".

"Well, yes. He went home some time back, but returned after he had rested. He's downstairs, talking to Daidouji-sama".

"_Please_ tell him to come up. _Now."._

"Very well".

"Oh, and one more thing".

"Yes?".

"Could you please fetch me a First-aid kit?".

"Of course".

**AUTHOR'S POV**

Approximately ten seconds later Syaoran rushed into Sakura's room looking concerned.

"What's wrong?", he demanded.

"Nothing.", she assured him.

"Then what's going on?".

"Did you get that wound in your side treated?".

"_Sakura!_ You called me all the way up to ask me about _that?"._

"Just _answer_ me! Did you get it checked or not?".

"Satoshi bandaged it.".

"That's good..._I was worried..."._

Syaoran turned red. Those words thrilled him more than he thought they should.

Just then, Satoshi returned with the kit.

Sakura thanked him, and with a slight nod, he left.

"Syaoran-kun, come here.", she said.

"What? _No._ I'm _not_ hurt anywhere else!", he protested.

"Oh, really? Then what would you call those nasty looking scratches on your face and arms?".

"Sakura, please!"

"Syaoran-kun , as it is I feel very guilty for not having asked you how you were feeling, before. Don't make me feel any worse. This is the _least_ I can do for you.", she pleaded.

Reluctantly, he sat beside her.

"Ok. Now hold out your arms", she instructed. Mumbling something about _'...treating me like a baby..._', he did so. She tuned him out.

Taking out a cotton ball, she squirted anti-septic over it and carefully started dabbing it over the multiple bruises on his arms. He winced, but held still. Then she put on the band-aids.

When the arms were done, she moved onto his face.

Now Syaoran became visibly flustered. Her soothing touch had quite the _opposite_ effect on him.

"_Stop fidgeting_ Syaoran-kun! How am I supposed to do it properly if you keep moving?", she scolded him.

Relaxing a little, he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. (Not to mention, the sharp stabs of pain the anti-septic caused).

"_There!_ All done!", she said, admiring her handiwork.

One part of him said, _'Finally! I was going crazy!'_. While the other said, _'Aww...done already?'._

He imagined himself mentally _kicking_ the second part and snapped his eyes open.

"Thank you", he told her gruffly.

Her expression became solemn.

"No, thank _you_. I didn't get the chance to tell you this earlier, so I'll settle for now: Today, I could've NEVER done what I did, _not in a million years_, without your help Syaoran-kun! We did it. Together. Thank you _so much_. I don't know what I'd do without you Syaoran-kun! I'm _truly_ lucky to have a friend like you...", she said smiling warmly at him.

**(A/N: Guess what colour his face turned?)**

But, he gave her another one of his rare smiles and reached out and patted her on the shoulder. (Refusing to acknowledge the tingles that shot up his spine when he did so).

Incredibly, it was _Sakura_ who now felt light-headed and fluttery inside, at the sight of that smile.

"You need more rest Sakura. Don't sit up the entire night having one of those _Sleepover thingies_ with Daidouji-san. Try to sleep.", he said sternly and left.

Long after he'd gone, she still sat in the exact position...with a single bewildered thought that kept circulating in her head...which happened to be the same thought plaguing Syaoran too at the exact same moment...

**BOTH SAKURA AND SYAORAN'S POV**

'What's HAPPENING to me?'

**-END OF CHAPTER-**

**MEANINGS:**

**Sugoi – Amazing**

**Hai – Yes**

**Arigatou Gozaimas – Thank you so much**

**A/N: Hope you guys liked it! More S/S will come later, I promise! :D**

**Please review!**


	3. AN ELECTRICAL EMERGENCY!

**CARD CAPTOR SAKURA**

**DISCLAIMER: CCS does not belong to me.**

**A/N: First off, I would like to say two words: GOMEN NASAI! I am SO sorry for the RIDICULOUSLY long time I took to post this! It was a completely irresponsible thing for an author to do! But, here's why that happened: I was crippled with a very severe case of Writer's Block!**

**I know it doesn't sound like much, but I swear: I couldn't write ANYTHING. Literally. Each time I typed a couple of lines, I always ended up backspacing them within two minutes flat! It was TORTURE, I tell you.**

**I can't tell you how happy I am to finally get over that phase! **

**Moving onto all those people who reviewed for the previous chapter and favourited or alerted this story:**

**James Birdsong,**

**vedha,**

**XxCherryWolf-chanxX,**

**nikki50 and **

**Syao Blossoms**

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMAS!**

**This chapter is dedicated to you guys for hanging in there! Love ya'll! :D**

**HAPPY READING!**

**-SB ;)**

**THE TRIALS**

**CHAPTER THREE – AN ELECTRICAL EMERGENCY!**

**SAKURA'S POV**

"Tomoyo-chan! I slept in my uniform and totally forgot to get it washed! I don't have _anything_ to wear for school! I'm screwed!", I shriek at 7:30 AM, rushing into her room.

"You can wear one of my spare sets", says Tomoyo-chan handing me the clothes.

I shoot her a grateful glance and rush out the room, silently thanking my stars that I have a sensible best friend like Tomoyo-chan to bail me out whenever I lose my head!

Grabbing a fluffy, white towel off the rack, I hop into the bathroom. Within minutes I'm in the shower, stripping off my clothes and tossing them in the general direction of the laundry hamper. I turn the shower on prepared to just relax and enjoy the feel of the hot water against my skin. I'm a sucker for hot showers. They always make me relax.

But obviously today is NOT my day, what with the uniform fiasco and all, so it's only normal that the water heater doesn't work and I take a _freezing_ shower which leaves me shivering all over!

Cursing my stars this time, I dry myself and pull on my clothes.

Today, combing my hair equals running a comb through it thrice. Thank God it's so short. If it was as long as Tomoyo-chan's, I would've never been able to dry it so quickly.

I run downstairs without tripping over my own feet or anything. After all, One: I'm a cheerleader and Two: Trust me when I say I've had a LOT of practice running downstairs shrieking, "I'm LATE!". It's like a regular routine in the Kinomoto household. It's not something to be proud of, just inevitable.

But I'm going to make a sincere effort to be more punctual this year. Starting from _tomorrow_, of course.

Anyway, I run downstairs and skid into the dining hall, only to cringe. That _smell_... It's exactly like the smell of-

"_Burnt toast!_ Just what we need on this hectic morning!", mutters Tomoyo-chan from behind me.

And she's right. Kuruso-kun looks mortified. Mumbling half-formed apologies, he quickly brings out cereal and milk. Apparently something went wrong with the toaster and it did its duty a _tad_ too much.

We eat our Frosted Flakes as fast as we can without actually choking and Tomoyo-chan calls out that it's time to get into the limo, but I refuse the offer. Today of all days, I need some fresh air to clear my head.

I put on my skates and set off.

The feel of the cool morning air against my face, blowing back my hair, is refreshing.

I spoke to Dad and Onii-chan on the phone, yesterday. Tomoyo-chan had already told them I was staying with her, but that did not necessarily mean they were happy with the arrangement. Or atleast, _Onii-chan_ wasn't.

He is THE most protective big brother any one can ever have. Naturally, he immediately smelt something fishy. Tomoyo-chan told me that she very nearly panicked when he demanded to speak to me, but she managed to convince him that I couldn't come to the phone with a little white lie that I was taking a shower then. Both of us feel guilty about that. But what else can we do?

I reach the school gates to see Tomoyo-chan waiting for me. We've reached school almost ten minutes before the first bell can ring. Atleast one good thing today!

"Oi! Sakura!", comes my brother's voice.

I turn around. There he is. With _Yukito-san_, no less. I try not to blush.

"Don't _ever_ go off to somewhere without informing me and Otou-san first hereafter, okay? I was worried", says Onii-chan frowning.

"Gomen. I won't do it again", I tell him sincerely.

"By the way, what was the sudden reason for a sleepover?", he asks suspiciously and I frantically try to come up with a good excuse. But I'm fortunately saved from my brother's wrath, by Yukito-san.

"You are so paranoid, Toya! Sakura-chan probably had some school work to complete, right?", he asks me and I nod gratefully. I really love Yukito-san. He is just so wonderful!

Onii-chan considers me with narrowed eyes for a second before mumbling a "Whatever" and a final warning to NEVER go anywhere without getting prior permission from him or Otou-san.

_Whew!_ _That was close!_

**SYAORAN'S POV **

"Oh, look Syaoran! Kinomoto-san and Daidouji-san are here!", says Meiling, and my heads snaps up of its own accord. Yes, there _she_ is.

"Sakura? Are you feeling better today?", I ask her, urgently running over.

"Hai! I'm perfectly fine. You were right, Syaoran-kun: All that rest completely did it!", she says happily and I have to struggle not to smile.

Sakura is almost always happy. In fact, she was so perky that it used to annoy me no end before. Not now, though. Now, I find it...well..._cute._ In a very platonic, _Oh-look-Sakura-is-so-kawaii-I-blush-each-time-she-smiles-at-me_ kind of way. That's all. Nothing more.

"It's good that you've recovered. But I'd advise you to take it slow. No harm in being careful, right?", I say.

"Oh, yes. I'll tone it down for a couple of days".

"Great".

"Thanks you for all your concern, Syaoran-kun! That is so nice of you", she says smiling.

Those eyes... that face... and that smile...

"Uh...well...y-you're w-we-welc-".

"You mean, welcome?", she asks and I nod furiously.

Since when do I start stammering and acting like a complete idiot whenever she is nice to me? It's so embarrassing! Syaoran Li is NOT supposed to turn into a stuttering child when a pretty girl smiles at him! He is the leader of the Li clan! What kind of an example would he be setting if he acted like this? And why on Earth is he now referring to himself in the THIRD PERSON?

"Umm...Syaoran-kun? Syaoran-kun? Hello?". A hand waves in front of my face, breaking into my assessment of how insane I've started to become in the past few days.

"Huh? Oh, yes. Umm...so?", I mutter, turning red again.

"So...I was wondering...did you sense anything strange today? I didn't...but then, today was one hectic morning and with all that exhaustion yesterday, I don't think I would've been able to feel my _toes,_ much less powerful magic".

"Funny you should ask. Since today morning, I've been having this kind of premonitory feeling that something's not right".

"That can't be good".

"Just think positive like you always do. I'm sure everything will turn out alright".

"You're right. Everything will definitely be alright. Everything will _definitely_ be alright...Everything...", she mutters, but not with much conviction.

"Calm down Sakura. _Breathe._ It's all going to be ok", I say, patting her on the shoulder. "Now, clear your mind".

"Hai!".

She closes her eyes and scrunches up her nose, trying hard to concentrate. _Kawaii..._

I snap myself out of it.

'Now think...umm...lovely thoughts...", I say, more as a distraction from noticing her cuteness, than as actual advice.

I cannot believe I just quoted _Peter pan!_ Great advice, Syaoran. _Think lovely thoughts._ Very suave.

She nods and slowly all the anxiety drains out of her face, replacing it with a sweet smile and a slight blush. I wonder what she thought of...

Wait. She _blushed_, didn't she? I bet she thought of that boy Yukito! A ripple of annoyance goes through me before I can stop it. What does _he_ have that I don't? What's so great about him-

I can't believe I just thought that!

Sakura finally opens her eyes and grins. "All better now! Arigatou, Syaoran-kun!".

Kawaii...

_Oh, for God's sake! _

**TOMOYO'S POV**

This is so wonderful! Everything is proceeding just splendidly!

I couldn't help over-hearing that conversation between them now. And I've _definitely _confirmed that...

Li-kun is slowly but steadily falling for my best friend and that the feeling is mutual! (Atleast if the way Sakura-chan blushes around him, is any indication).

Anyway, when she closed her eyes, I saw the expression on her face. Something tells me that her 'lovely thoughts' had something to do with a _certain _amber-eyed boy in the vicinity. _Tee hee!_

Ok. Note to self – Things I have to do:

1. Start making Sakura-chan realise that Yukito-san is too old for her!

2. Somehow get a confession out of both Li-kun and Sakura-chan that they like each other. (Something tells me that me that _this one_...is going to take LOOONG time...).

3. Drop discreet hints around Meiling-san that Li-kun might possibly not be available for a much longer time. (**Note:** Keep a safe distance away from Meiling-san when you do this. Especially if she has any dangerous items that she can chuck at you!).

4. Ditto to Toya-kun, except that it's about his baby sister not being single for much longer! (**Note:** Take care to NEVER mention Li-kun's name in this context to Toya-kun. After all, I don't have a death wish!).

5. Make sure that the video-camera is with me at ALL times! Who knows when things might get exciting? And if I miss a _potential romantic moment_ between Li-kun and Sakura-chan, I'll NEVER forgive myself!

6. Come up with plans to separate Li-kun and Sakura-chan away from the rest of the gang. Unless they're alone with each other, they might NEVER get the guts to confess! (Not to mention that Li-kun would utterly HATE having an audience when he's busy trying to telling the girl he likes, that he...well..._likes_ her?).

7. Oh, I almost forgot: _Must_ remember to keep this budding attraction from the notice of Kero-chan too! It would NOT do to have him giving grief to Sakura-chan about liking a 'Gaki'!

8. And...get to work on a good costume for Sakura-chan to wear on her next adventure! (Although I have to admit: That spider incident can hardly be called an _adventure_).

Now that Sakura-chan has a potential love interest in her life...my duty as her personal stylist has been redeemed! She's going to have to look _stunning_ on their next adventure!

Time to get to work on some new designs. I can't possibly make her any more of those fluffy pink and white frocks anymore (cute as they were).

Now Sakura-chan is almost _thirteen_. She needs to look more like her age. No more lace and ribbons. Nu-huh. It's got to be something innocent and cute, but still appealing in a teenage way...

_Now this is a bit of a challenge..._

**MEILING'S POV – FOURTH PERIOD (ENGLISH)**

"And now, class, let me inform you of a very exciting project we'll be doing this semester. I'll break you all up into groups of six and each group has to work together on a fifteen minute presentation about any emotion – Happiness, Sadness, Anger, etc. It could be in the form of a dance, a musical fest, a skit or anything else. I leave that up to your creativity. This is due by next Wednesday, which means I'm giving you a whole week. So I don't want _any _excuses then saying that you can't perform, alright?", says Terada-sensei.

Everyone nods eagerly. Usually when a class project is announced, all we can hear are groans and moans. But not _this_ time!

Oh, I sure do hope I get to be in a team with Syaoran!

"Right. I've chosen five kids to be team leaders. This box here has pieces of paper with the names of everyone except those five, written on them. Each of the five kids will take their turn and pick out five chits and the people whose names are on them, will be make up the rest of the team. Now I'll call out the names of the leaders: Sasaki Rika, Yamamura Mikkan, Atsumi Tanaka, Takashi Yamazaki and Li Syaoran".

Yay!_ Go Syaoran!_

**FIVE MINUTES LATER**

Everyone else has picked their chits except Syaoran and Yamazaki.

Now it's Syaoran's turn. My palms are sweating. Really. I so _badly _want to be on his team!

He pulls out the first chit.

"Tenchi Ruu", he reads out.

Second chit.

He relaxes slightly.

"Daidouji Tomoyo".

Goody!

Third chit.

A small smile appears on his face.

"Li Meiling".

Aww...he's happy to have _me_ on his team! YES! YES! YES!

Fourth chit.

Okay. Now that smile is totally gone.

"What the- I mean, Hiiragizawa Eriol".

Poor Syaoran. He really does dislike that boy. I just can't understand why.

The last chit.

He picks it out and the instant he sees the name on it, his eyes light up despite his efforts to hide it. Even though I don't want it to be true, I already know it can be only one particular person who would get this reaction out of him.

"Kinomoto Sakura".

_Oh, joy._

**AUTHOR'S POV – SIXTH PERIOD (JAPANESE)**

It was the sixth period. (Translated: The period right after lunch when even the nerdiest students felt just about ready to take a nap).

Something odd had been happening all day: All the electronic items in the classroom had been malfunctioning. The lights flickered continuously. The ceiling fans were so slow that they made absolutely no impact whatsoever. They might have as well been switched off.

Nobody had thought much of it. After all, things _do_ go wrong now and then, don't they? It was certainly no biggie. But if they all thought this was just another normal day, then they had another thing coming.

It was precisely at seven minutes after the start of sixth period, that all hell broke loose: The fire alarm rang.

"The school's on fire! _It's on fire!_", shrieked Chiharu. She had a _thing _about fire: She was TERRIFIED of it, ever since she'd accidentally burned part of her little finger on a candle flame on her fifth birthday.

"We're going to be _roasted alive!_", added Naoko fearfully. Straightening her glasses, she moved her hands around expressively and began to explain further with a manic kind of gleam in her eye. "Oh, yes! We're going to be _burnt to a crisp_ and _vultures _will swoop down to peck at our _fried intestines_-".

"SHUT UP NAOKO!", yelled Rika.

"Of, course! Gomen Nasai!", muttered Naoko abashedly, snapping out of her trance.

Naoko wanted to be a writer of commercial fiction, and spent most of her time in her fantasies of dragons, unicorns and mythological creatures. Sometimes however (like now), her imagination literally _ran_ away with her.

"But she's right! It was all over the Discovery Channel the other day! Did you know that vultures-", started Yamazaki with the air of a scholar only to be cut off by Chiharu who threatened to strangle him if he did so much as _open_ his mouth again.

Tomoyo looked upset at the thought of her school and themselves being burned down, but did that stop her filming all the panic? _Oh, no. _

"_Daidouji!_ There is a time and a place for videotaping things!", yelled Meiling in exasperation, even as Tomoyo continued to ignore her and film.

Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other.

"The Water Card would take care of this in an instant", whispered Sakura and Syaoran nodded.

"Let's go", he whispered back and grabbed her hand.

Tingles shot up Sakura's hand.

'Now is _not_ the time to be thinking of this!', she scolded herself mentally.

Meanwhile, Terada-sensei had been trying to catch the attention of the class.

"ENOUGH!", he yelled.

The class fell silent.

"You have no time to make chitchat! Form a line and quickly evacuate the premises! Do NOT stop to retrieve your belongings-".

He was interrupted by an announcement over the school intercom.

"Students and teachers, there is NO fire in any part of the school! We suspect that some miscreant has activated the fire alarm for fun. There is no cause for panic. Settle down and please resume your- CRACKLE...CRACKLE...". Shrill static finally took over and the announcement was over-lapped with it for a couple of seconds before it stopped.

Everyone looked at each other. The expressions on all the faces were the same: amazement, annoyance and even grudging admiration for the culprit.

Terada-sensei sighed. "And they say that a _doctor's_ job is difficult...", he said as he signalled the class to take their seats again.

All was well for about fifteen more minutes. And then it happened. All the lights went out.

"The emergency generator will kick in any minute now. No need to make a fuss", said Terada-sensei.

Sure enough, the hum of the generator could be heard and the lights and fans came back on. Sakura felt a prickle of unease, but ignored it.

Then there was a loud BOOM and the entire building blacked out for a second time.

"Oh, for _God's sake!_", muttered Terada-sensei slamming the Japanese textbook on the table, completely aggravated.

The students looked at each other confused.

"I think the generator just broke down", said Yamazaki.

Chiharu looked at him dubiously as if trying to gauge whether he was actually trying to tell the truth for once.

Sakura had sat up ramrod straight, eyes wide.

She'd just sensed a wave of magic. She looked at Syaoran. He was already looking at her. He nodded.

There was just one teeny little problem. They were in the middle of a class.

Syaoran leaned over urgently. "What the heck are we going to do? I can feel the magic getting stronger by _every second!_".

"Hang on", said Sakura.

She turned to Tomoyo and Meiling. "Tomoyo-chan! We need a favour! You and Meiling-san have to somehow distract Terada-sensei while Syaoran-kun and I slip out!", she whispered.

"Oh, My GOD! Sakura-chan! I knew you were starting to like him, but _cutting class_ to _sneak out_ with him and...?", whisper-yelled Tomoyo, shocked.

Syaoran opened his mouth and then closed it again, beet-red.

"Nooo! Tomoyo-chan! I did not mean it _that_ way! You have a really dirty imagination, you know?", protested Sakura, utterly mortified.

"Then what else did you mean unless-".

"Daidouji. Stop _right_ there!", said Meiling, glaring at her.

"Ok, ok! But why do you both need to _'slip out'_, huh?", asked Tomoyo.

"Because we just felt _magic!_ I bet that's what been causing all these power fluctuations!", said Syaoran sharply.

To her credit, Tomoyo had the grace to atleast look sheepish about her accusation.

"Gomen. Of course, we'll help you! Won't we, Meiling-san?", she appealed to Meiling, with a winning smile.

Meiling glared some more at her. She did not particularly like the idea of Sakura and Syaoran alone without her supervision.

Realising what his cousin what thinking about, Syaoran gave her a reassuring look. Meiling perked up and nodded.

"So, how are you guys going to distract Terada-sensei?", asked Sakura.

"Wait and watch the expert", said Tomoyo winking.

She turned around and gestured something to Rika, Chiharu, Naoko and Yamazaki who were sitting a couple of seats behind. They all nodded eagerly.

She turned around and took a deep breath. And opened her mouth.

"AAAHHH!", screamed Tomoyo.

"What? WHAT?", demanded Terada-sensei, clearly rattled. The poor man was _definitely _not putting down June 3rd on his list of 'Top 10 best days'.

"A-A sp-sp-spider!", said Tomoyo dramatically, pointing to the back of her chair.

"A SPIDER? AAHH!", pitched in Meiling. She didn't even have to pretend. She was truly terrified of spiders.

The rest of the gang also started screaming: obviously according to Tomoyo's earlier instructions.

Of course, when there are six kids shrieking their lungs out, the rest of the class isn't likely to sit like meek little lambs. So what precisely happened, was that _everyone else_ joined in too.

Tomoyo vehemently refused to go within a five-foot radius of her chair with its non-existent spider. When Terada-sensei went closer to examine the chair, Rika quickly screamed that she'd seen it run under her desk.

Grabbing Syaoran's elbow, Sakura started slinking to the doorway.

At that precise moment, Terada-sensei turned in their direction and they cringed. But right then, Meiling blocked his view of them entirely, pointing a shaking finger at another non-existent spider in the opposite direction and sensei automatically turned around.

Taking advantage of that one second, Sakura and Syaoran slipped out and slid the door shut again.

"It's coming from that direction", said Syaoran, referring to the magic.

They ran to the end of the corridor, made a couple of turns out the school building and literally banged into a wall of magic so strong, it felt like a smack to the face.

"_Whoa_".

"I agree".

It was coming from the emergency generator.

Which also happened to be spewing bright orange sparks and making funny noises.

A few moments later, the noises stopped but all the lights in the senior block of the school went out. And then, a house adjoining the school, blacked out. It was like the flu – spreading from one place to another like wildfire. The lights on the lamp posts lining the sidewalk started flickering like crazy.

Sakura and Syaoran stared helplessly at each other.

"Yo! Sakura! Kid! Never fear when _Kero_ is here!", came a voice with a heavy Osaka accent.

"Kero-chan? What are _you_ doing here?", asked Sakura incredulously, looking at the little creature flying towards them.

"Oh, great! The stuffed toy is here to save the day! Everyone applaud!", commented Syaoran smirking.

He wasn't generally rude. But there was something about Keroberos that brought out his jerky side.

A vein throbbed in Kero's forehead.

"What. Did. You. Call. _Me?"._

"A stuffed toy, _stuffed toy_".

"I am not a stuffed toy! I am _Keroberos_! Guardian of the-".

"Yes, yes. I've heard all that before".

"And you are a _Gaki_ who-".

"There's a tough electrical situation here! Can we focus on _that?_", asked Sakura, hands on her hips.

With a parting glare, Syaoran and Kero turned away from each other.

"How did you know there was magic here, anyway?", Sakura asked Kero.

"I could sense it. _All_ the way over from your house! I think it's affecting the flow of electricity", he replied.

Sakura frowned. "The lights and the generator probably went out because there was no electricity left for them to function with. The magic must've sapped away most of the current supply", she speculated.

"So, you're saying that we need to increase the flow of electricity?", asked Syaoran.

"Yes", said Kero grumpily. "_Moron_", he added smugly, as an afterthought.

But Syaoran wasn't listening to him any longer. Instead he exclaimed, "_The Lasin Board!_ We can use that! One of the eight elements on it is _Electricity!"._

Kero perked up. "Well, what are you waiting for? Try it then!".

"There is just one hitch...", mumbled Syaoran looking supremely ashamed of himself.

"What?".

"I left it in class".

"Oh, you insufferable _Baka_-".

"Kinomoto-san! Syaoran!", called out a voice. It was Meiling running towards them, closely followed by Tomoyo.

"What are _you both_ doing here?".

"Well, we didn't want to miss the fun and I personally was NOT willing to miss an adventure which is camera-worthy!", said Tomoyo indignantly holding up her video-camera.

"That...and we brought you your Lasin Board! We thought you might need it", piped up Meiling proudly.

Syaoran beamed at them. "You girls are life-savers!".

Meiling beamed right back. Syaoran was not known for his smiles. They were rare occurrences. Getting beamed at by her fiancé was probably the highlight of her life so far.

Grabbing the Lasin Board from her, he called out, "Force know my plight, release the light! Electricity!".

Electricity shot out from the board into several directions. Almost instantly, the lights in the houses flickered. The generator started humming softly. All seemed well, but a few seconds later, the lights began to dim and generator broke down for the second time in five minutes.

"What's happening?", asked Tomoyo from behind her video-camera.

"Yeah, why is everything blacking out again?", demanded Meiling.

"I don't get it...It was working well enough a moment back...", said Syaoran, eyebrows furrowed. Even Kero looked confused.

Sakura who had been quiet for all this while, spoke up. "I think it's because the electricity isn't _strong enough_ to power so many things at the same time".

Syaoran considered it. It seemed likely. She was right. His heart sank. Not because she was right, of course. But because he didn't know how they were going to maximise the power supply.

"There's no _Clow Card_ that we can use, is there?", asked Syaoran desperately, hoping against hope that the answer would not be the one he was expecting.

"No. Clow Reed never designed any Card for Electricity", confirmed Kero dejectedly.

Sakura thought for a moment. It was true...there wasn't any Card exclusively for electricity... But there was...

"I've got it! The _Thunder Card!_", she declared, smacking her fist into her palm in triumph.

Meiling and Tomoyo frowned. Kero looked at her like she had lost it. Syaoran was the only one who looked steadily at her, waiting for her to continue.

"The Thunder Card has NOTHING to do with electricity! It creates thunder, for crying out loud!", Kero said.

Sakura grinned. "Oh, but you're forgetting something: It also creates lightning! And lightning is nothing but Atmospherical-".

"-Electricity!", finished Syaoran looking impressed.

"Exactly!".

Kero blinked a few times and comprehension dawned.

"Gosh, yes! Let's try it and hope it works!", he said.

Sakura quickly transformed the Sakura Key around her neck into the Staff, reached for the pouch she kept the Cards in and took out The Lightning.

Throwing it up, she brought the Staff down on it and chanted, _"Card created by Clow, discard your old form and be reborn, under the name of Sakura, your new mistress!"._

Like yesterday, the Card glowed and changed into a shining Sakura Card. Sakura felt the same weakening she'd felt yesterday. But this time, it was a million times smaller and she could handle it.

Throwing it up once more, she repeated the action with the Staff and said the necessary spell to summon the Card.

"_Thunder Card!_ Neutralize the level of current flow! _Release and Dispel!"._

The Card manifested into its humanoid form and got right to work. It held out its hands above and a second later, heavy gray clouds darkened the sky. A streak of lightning shot out right into the Card's outstretched hands. A crackling ball of electricity started forming. It grew bigger and bigger and tendrils of icy-white lightning broke off from the source and disappeared into the same directions that the Lasin Board's lightning had targeted.

Supplemented by the Thunder Card's current, the house lights started growing brighter and brighter and the generator restarted itself. It finally shut itself down when the lights and fans in all the classrooms came back on.

"We did it!", cried Sakura happily.

Kero shot her the thumbs up. "Great job Sakura. On a totally unrelated note, I have just two levels left on my JourneyQuest game. So, if ya don't mind...".

"_Yes_, you can go", said Sakura laughing.

Kero waved at her once and stuck his tongue at Syaoran.

"Immature little _stuffed toy!_", taunted Syaoran.

"I heard that..._Gaki!_", called back Kero, before flying off.

Tomoyo shook her head. "Why can't you both just get along for a change?".

Syaoran shrugged. "Karma. We probably fought in a previous life too".

"Hey, by the way...how did you two manage to sneak out without sensei noticing?", asked Sakura.

"Oh, I told the girls to keep him occupied with some kind of issue and Rika pretended to trip and sprain her ankle. Chiharu and Naoko were making a huge fuss about it. She's probably carrying on all the drama even now", confided Tomoyo smugly.

Sakura laughed. Even Syaoran cracked a smile.

"What about Yamazaki?", he asked curiously.

"The last thing I heard when we were leaving, was him telling some ridiculous story about how sprained ankles could be cured by drinking a potion made of _Vanilla essence_, _powered bark of a Sycamore tree_ and _hot chilli sauce_", said Meiling and everyone cracked up. Including Syaoran.

"Thanks a lot you two. You were a great help today", said Syaoran gratefully, to Meiling and Tomoyo.

"Yes, we'd never have been able to sneak out without all your brilliant acting!", teased Sakura.

Tomoyo chuckled. "Right... Now let's get back to class before Terada-sensei finds out that four of his students are missing. Even fake sprained ankles can hold his attention for only _so long_", she added, catching up with Meiling, while Sakura and Syaoran trailed behind.

"By the way...that was pretty quick thinking today... You were great Sakura", said Syaoran sincerely.

"Arigatou", said Sakura smiling up at him, and he smiled back.

They gazed at each other for a second, making direct eye-contact. Him looking into her emerald eyes and her looking right back into his amber ones.

The moment lasted for just a second before they blushed and looked away. But for that one little second, everything had been just perfect. And for then, that was enough for both of them.

**ERIOL'S POV – LATER THAT EVENING **

I'm seated in front of the fireplace, with Spinel curled up on a sofa cushion and Ruby sitting beside him. As the firelight flickers, I narrate the events of the day to my two loyal companions. They, of course, witnessed today's trial themselves. But not the things that happened before that.

"We might have made a mistake underestimating the Card Mistress and the boy", says Spinel.

"Yes. They _do_ seem pretty strong", says Ruby, agreeing with Spinel for once, instead of contradicting him.

I remember the way they had fought the spiders too. Very gritty. _Admirable indeed..._

"It's funny though...From what you've said, it looks like they _never _noticed your absence during sixth period...", says Spinel, .

"I put a spell on all of them. Even the teacher. Why take chances?", I say.

"True. But Eriol, why did you use magic on the boy and make him pick out _those_ particular chits? That's one thing I didn't understand. And more importantly, why did you make him pick out _your_ name too? Isn't it better to keep a low profile around them and avoid suspicion?", asks Spinel.

"No, I want to be part of their group. It is imperative that I find out their strengths and weaknesses. Especially those of Sakura and Syaoran. Getting close to them is the only way I can do that. And besides, I have plans for each of them which will only work when they're together... Befriending Sakura Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji will be easy. Meiling Li will be harder. She follows whatever Syaoran Li does and the boy heartily dislikes me...Sakura Kinomoto is more powerful, but the boy is more shrewd. He will not be easy to mislead...", I continue.

"Why would a boy who met you only a day back, dislike you so much?", wonders Ruby out loud.

"Well, for one, I have a feeling he sees through me. But the main reason is rather..._amusing._..", I chuckle.

"What do you mean?".

"He sees me as a threat...to his _love._..", I say.

Spinel and Ruby look confused, but know better than to ask for further explanations.

I delve back into my thoughts.

It is interesting that the Card Mistress was destined to be with the _Lunar Guardian..._but instead, seems to be falling for her _comrade..._Fate works in ways that are stranger than we might think...

Things are picking up pace...the next trial will have to be even more challenging...

_I wonder..._

**-END OF CHAPTER-**

**A/N: I know there wasn't much S/S in this one, but I wanted to take things slow. Sorry about that! And thank you for taking the time to read this! Arigatou! :D**

**PEACE OUT & HAPPY READING!**

**-SB ;)**

**P.S: Any trial ideas you guys might have, are totally welcome, because I'm running out of possible options pretty quickly! :D**


End file.
